


Princess Peach Syndrome

by frozenCinders



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Dark Irregulars, M/M, kris actually tags characters for once
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-05
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-22 03:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9581693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenCinders/pseuds/frozenCinders
Summary: "I have a plan that'll make Scarlet hold you every night," Frederick had said. He didn't mention how tedious the plan would be for Satoru.





	1. Day 1

Scharhrot was in a meeting with someone who was trying to convince him to spare someone he'd already decided to execute. Satoru had no interest in hearing the poor woman sobbing that her son can do better and that he should be given a chance, since she sounded on the verge of tears when he'd heard her. Instead, he sat alone in Scharhrot's room, waiting for him to come back.

The door creaked open and Satoru recognized the person as the man Scharhrot was planning to kill soon. He had probably come to beg Satoru to talk some sense into Scharhrot...

"My life is forfeit anyway," he said, quickly slinging Satoru over his shoulder, "might as well piss him off on my way out."

What did that mean..? If he wanted to kill Satoru, there would be no reason to hop out the window with him. He was doing some impressive tricks to safely get down from the window while holding Satoru. Was he taking him somewhere or just running away blindly?

"What are you doing?" he asked, knowing Scharhrot would soon grow bored of the mother and track Satoru's scent when he saw he was missing. He was only vaguely concerned for himself.

"Just gonna hide you. He'll go nuts trying to find you."

The man had rounded ears and was probably a human. That hardly gave an excuse as to why he wouldn't know about Scharhrot's keen nose considering he'd worked under him. Satoru decided not to speak up, just in case.

They were about halfway through the forest when they were swarmed with butterflies. Satoru propped himself up as best he could, not spotting Scharhrot anywhere. The man carrying him stopped and his grip quickly loosened until he dropped Satoru, who landed on his side.

"I suppose you don't care for your life after all," Scharhrot said, and Satoru looked up to watch him steal the life away from the man. He grew paler as beautiful red particles emitted from him and gathered at Scharhrot's hand placed on his face. After a short while, the particles became less plentiful until they stopped completely and Scharhrot released the man. He immediately collapsed without Scharhrot holding him up.

Satoru was already aware of Scharhrot's strength, but seeing it up close was surreal. He was unsettled by it, but not worried in the slightest that Scharhrot could ever use it on him. Scharhrot even humored him and walked with him on foot back to the castle- until he got bored of walking and merely floated along beside Satoru.


	2. Day 2

Satoru leaned on the railing of the balcony and stared at the moon. He wondered if Scharhrot would come back this way, greeting him on the balcony in the silence of night, surrounded by his butterflies. It certainly made for a pleasing mental image...

While he was lost in thought, a woman he thought he vaguely recognized popped up in front of him, her somewhat short, fluffy black hair bouncing as she did so.

"Aw, aren't you just a little cutie..." she cooed, placing a finger under Satoru's chin and gently rubbing there. She then tilted her head with a furrowed brow.

"No mana..? Oh, right! Otherworlder stuff. I guess you've got nothing for me, then..."

"Ah... you can't absorb my life force?"

That was valuable information, actually. He'd never been attacked by a succubus before, so he wasn't sure if they could make him surrender his life force like they did to so many others.

"Doesn't look like it. But you know what? I'll take you home with me!"

"No thank you," he said, quickly stepping back and intending to duck into the room.

The succubus hugged him and picked him up like that, his arms restricted and legs unsupported. He only struggled while she floated over the balcony and quickly stopped when she flew over the forest.

"Aw, don't worry, I won't drop you," she assured. "Wanna land and get on my back?"

"I would prefer to go back to the balcony..."

"Sorry, sweetiepie, you're going on a trip tonight!"

"Sweetie... pie?"

At his confused reaction, she giggled and hugged him tighter.

"Does Scarlet not give you pet names? Poor thing, poor thing..."

"Scarlet?" Satoru pushed away a bit to look up at her. "Are you... do you work under Frederick?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Ah... did I see you when I was at his castle..?"

"Aw, you forgot me?"

"... Yes. My apologies."

"It's ok... we didn't talk much anyway. Frederick introduced me in case you needed anything, but you never asked."

She landed and gently released Satoru, turning around and pointing to her back for him to hop on. He hesitated but figured his only other option was getting carried in a hug again, which was quite uncomfortable. But regardless of him accepting his fate...

"I've... never ridden on someone's back before," he admitted.

"What? You've never gotten a piggyback ride? Not even as a little kid? That's so sad..."

He tried his best to climb on without ending up in an awkward position and she swept his legs off the ground to hold them. Satoru gripped her shoulders, somehow feeling even less safe being carried like this.

"Your name's Satoru, right?" she asked, looking back and waiting until he nodded to continue. "Mine's Adrienne. It's nice to properly meet you!"

"Ah... well, you're kidnapping me right now," Satoru reminded. Adrienne laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything naughty. I'm actually doing this on lord Frederick's orders, in fact."

"Frederick wants me? He could have just visited."

"No, that's not it. Anyway, don't tell Scarlet about that. As far as you know, I did this of my own accord, ok?"

Something about the glimmer in her purple eyes that he'd assumed at first glance were gray intimated him and he nodded. He'd yet to get on Frederick's bad side, but he was aware nobody stayed there for long before they were easily slain.

"This looks fine," she said as they approached what looked like a warehouse. "Can't actually take you home after all since Scarlet's gonna find you."

"So he's supposed to find us?"

"Yup. There wouldn't be a point if I actually hid you."

She landed softly and crouched down before letting go of Satoru's legs and letting him climb off. She left Satoru unattended for a moment to heave the rusted door open.

"Then... what is the point?" he asked, following Adrienne into the warehouse. She turned around and winked at him.

"It's a secret!"

Satoru blinked and said nothing.

"Besides, isn't it nice to get some fresh air? Though maybe not so fresh in here... it's a little dusty," she noted, careful not to touch anything.

"Why are we in here?" he asked, cautiously looking around to check if she had any friends waiting there.

"Oh, just to make it seem like I had plans for you. Maybe next time I'll bring a feather duster, I really don't wanna dust this place off with my bare hands... Anyway, here, get in position," she said, leading him to a wall and pushing him down by the shoulders so he would sit.

"Am I meant to be doing something like this?"

"No, but it seems like it, huh?"

They then waited in the abandoned warehouse, idly chatting to pass the time. Satoru was able to learn a lot about succubi and even a tidbit about Frederick during the conversation. After a good while, Adrienne suddenly shushed him and stood in silence.

"That sure did take a while. Busy tonight?" she greeted, turning to face Scharhrot at the doorway.

He wordlessly approached her and slowly raised his hand to touch her. She wasn't fooled by the gentle motion, no doubt hearing of Scharhrot's power from Frederick, and jumped back before he made contact. Adrienne then cleared her throat and pulled out a badge of some kind, showing it to Scharhrot. He stared at it before turning his attention to Satoru and then back to Adrienne.

"Then be on your way," he said, "and do not take him from me again. You will not be spared next time. I'm sure Frederick would understand the situation."

"Such a sweet, merciful master you are! One might even dare to call you... soft?" she teased.

"Do not push your luck," he warned, stepping closer to Satoru to stand over him. He might have suspected she would try to scoop him up and run away with him.

"Sure, sure. I'll just have to find my fun elsewhere, I guess..." she pretended to lament, quickly making her escape.

"What was that badge?" Satoru asked as he stood.

"The emblem representing Frederick's army. She was a soldier. You weren't harmed, were you?"

"No..."

"Then I suppose as a succubus, she was going to coax your life out of you here," he surmised, picking Satoru up.

"Actually, she said I don't have mana and that I therefore "have nothing" for her..."

"And she didn't find that out until she got this far?"

Satoru opened his mouth to tell the truth, but remembered Adrienne telling him not to. The look she gave him wasn't at all a glare, but somehow seemed menacing despite how calm and casual she was. Besides, crossing her was crossing Frederick, he supposed. So he shrugged, figuring it was believable enough that he didn't know how these things worked.

Scharhrot didn't question it, nor did he ask anything else on their way back to the castle. Satoru was able to enjoy the scenery from above without distraction this time. He almost wished he could fly like many others in Dark Zone, but being carried by Scharhrot was better to Satoru.


	3. Day 3

Satoru sat down in the library with a book on magical runes, having no real reason to study them but still finding the magic of Cray interesting. He'd only just opened the book when he was suddenly gagged by cloth and dragged up and out of his chair. He looked behind him and saw... nobody? But he definitely still felt someone holding his arms behind his back and roughly pulling him along. Was he vividly hallucinating? Was the book cursed?

He didn't pass anyone as he was dragged along to the front door and out into the woods. The invisible force took him all the way to the outskirts of the nearby city before releasing his arms. When he looked behind him again, the force had turned visible, revealing a woman he definitely recognized. This was the Blade Wing who could turn invisible, though he was having trouble remembering her name. He'd never properly met her, but he'd seen her when Sullivan escorted him home from... another kidnapping.

Satoru removed the gag and turned fully to speak to her, but she beat him to it.

"My work here is done," she said, "taking you any further won't get me anything."

"Get you anything..?"

"Yup. All I care about is treasure and I've done enough to get paid. Extra credit doesn't exist in Dark Zone, so I don't exert the effort."

She seemed quite blunt and disinterested in Satoru himself. If Adrienne had been ordered by Frederick to take him from the castle, had he offered to pay... Rodbiss- that was her name!- to do so as well? It was also possible that Sullivan wanted to see him again.

Rodbiss then left without saying goodbye or providing further information. Satoru tried to call after her to wait, but she turned invisible once more and darted off, probably eager to collect payment.

Not only were Satoru's legs tired from the long walk from the castle, but he was well aware of how dangerous Dark Zone was. The city was probably even worse than the forest, as violent crimes out in the open weren't even blinked at here. It sounded like an exaggeration, so Satoru hoped it was and that he would get lucky. He definitely needed to rest his legs and maybe have a drink of water- though, he didn't have any money on him, so that might be difficult.

Satoru began looking around and did a double take when he saw Rodbiss being carried back to him under Tyrwhitt's arm, another Blade Wing.

"Ok, now apologize!" she demanded, releasing Rodbiss, who stood stiffly and didn't make eye contact with either of them.

"Say you're sorry!" Tyrwhitt repeated, pulling Rodbiss' ear.

"I'm. Sorry," she mumbled, not at all sounding genuine.

"You're ok, right?" Tyrwhitt addressed Satoru this time, her voice kinder. "Mean old Rodbiss keeps doing her dumb thief work even after she promised not to!"

"Turning invisible is an impressive power... I can see how it would be difficult to resist the temptation of thievery."

"No! Don't encourage her!" Tyrwhitt scolded.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"It's hard, babe. I have an addiction," Rodbiss said, a faint smirk visible on her face.

"Oh, stop quoting that dumb movie!"

"Excuse me," Satoru interjected, "I understand if it's too much to ask, but could I get a drink from somewhere nearby? I don't have any money, so..."

"Oh, of course it's fine! Rodbiss will pay."

"Rodbiss won't pay," Rodbiss corrected, stepping away. Tyrwhitt attached herself to her arm and dragged her along.

"Yes, you will. Come on, you've got plenty of money! Stop being so stingy!"

"Can't- um, not to encourage her, of course, but couldn't you theoretically just steal your money back?" Satoru suggested.

"No, no, no, don't give her ideas!"

"I already thought of it," Rodbiss admitted.

"If you don't stop being bad, you're not getting any kisses tonight!" Tyrwhitt warned, confirming that the two were in a relationship. Though, Satoru had inferred.

Satoru heard yelling from behind him and he turned to see what was going on, but he couldn't find anyone doing anything suspicious and the noise got further away as he stared. When he turned back around, he was alone. He froze, hoping it wasn't too obvious to everyone around that he was an easy target for mindless killing, or really anything else.

Thankfully, Tyrwhitt quickly came back into view, exiting a building with a water bottle in one hand and Rodbiss in tow in the other.

"Ok, yeah. Water? Bought. Now bye, kid," Rodbiss said, running away from him and Tyrwhitt.

"Can you fend for yourself? You, um... no offense or anything, but you kinda don't look like it..."

"No, actually..." he admitted, preferring to share that with her than allow someone else to find out from experience as soon as she left. She seemed unusually kind for someone in Dark Zone, after all. Hopefully it wasn't a trap.

"Thought so... well, that's ok! I'll keep you safe! Want me to walk you home now?"

"Yes, please."

Satoru already had a hard time keeping up with her not five steps into the forest. She seemed to notice and stopped walking.

"Are you ok? Wanna sit down for a minute?" she offered, pulling his arm in the direction of the city. He shook his head.

"I'd like to try to progress until I can't walk anym-" Tyrwhitt interrupted him by picking him up. "Ah."

"Wow, you're lighter than I thought! Yeah, I can carry you home like this!" she said, flying up above the treetops and pausing. "Where to?"

Satoru pointed in the direction of the castle.

"Woah, you live there?! You know, we Blade Wings have a castle in the sky!"

"I'm aware. I've actually been there before."

"What, really? Oh wait, let me guess, Sully brought you up for a night, didn't he?"

"No, but he did, uh... seem interested."

Satoru spent the better half of the flight recounting his story from when Zhishan had taken him. Tyrwhitt had teased him at the fact that he was telling a story about being kidnapped on a day where he was kidnapped again. He told her he found it ridiculous as well, and mentioned his more recent kidnappings.

"Sounds like you guys really need to step up your security! Like, jeez, doesn't he care? It's less effort to give you a bodyguard or something than to go hunt you down when you go missing like twice a week!"

"It's not that often. And my master will handle things his own way. I'm sure he doesn't need my input."

Tyrwhitt dropped him off at the castle entrance and Satoru sighed, taking comfort in knowing that he was at least safe. He really didn't feel like making the climb to his room just yet.

"Ok, well, tell your master I said hi and stuff. Take care!"

Tyrwhitt then took off, waving at him as she left. Satoru finished off his mostly empty water bottle and headed inside, eager to find someplace to sit down sooner than later.


	4. Day 4

"Hey, hon," a familiar voice called from the window, "let's go for another walk."

Satoru turned to see Adrienne and sighed, staying in place but knowing it was no use. She landed on the balcony and walked into the room, gently taking Satoru's hand and leading him to the window.

"My master is busy, we could probably just leave through the front door," he said, hoping someone would notice them on the way out, unlike yesterday.

"Nah, too long of a walk. What's the matter, don't like being carried?" she asked, ignoring his supposed preference and picking him up to hold him like a child on her hip. He felt a little too big for it.

"Why are you here again?"

"Why not?"

Satoru expected her to elaborate, but she didn't.

"Will you please let me stay home? If Frederick asks, I'll tell him you took me somewhere again," Satoru offered, hoping Adrienne was one to shirk duty. Though, he doubted Frederick allowed room for laziness.

"No thanks, sweetie. I'm actually taking you somewhere nice today, anyway. You'll like it," she assured.

Satoru reluctantly embraced her for support when she started flying.

"Where are we going?"

"Some guy who was hitting on me last night recommended a restaurant I'd never been to and you know what? It's really good. I figured Scarlet probably doesn't really take you on dates and such, so we might as well go while I've got you!"

This definitely seemed like the most pleasant kidnapping Satoru would ever experience. As long as she didn't make any advances, that is.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Satoru was suddenly hesitant to enter. He clenched his fists at his sides and stared at the ground, trying to will the sense of unease away. While he was at it, Adrienne took his arm and led him inside.

It was an odd atmosphere that just unsettled Satoru more, but Adrienne as well as the other patrons seemed unbothered by it. Adrienne sat him down at a booth and waved for a waiter. He was pretty sure they were supposed to wait for someone to seat them, but he kept silent. Adrienne ordered their drinks and the waiter- with noticably green hair- left to retrieve them.

"So what would you like to eat?"

"Ah, I'm actually not that hungry..."

"How about a snack, then? An appetizer? Oh, what about beef teriyaki? It's really good here. Or chicken?"

"Whichever is fine. Or rather, whichever you like," he added in case he didn't end up eating it.

Satoru was content to silently stare around the restaurant during the wait.

"Well, this isn't much of a date, huh..." Adrienne said, touching his shoe with her own. He retreated his feet, keeping them as close to himself as possible.

"So what do you like?"

Satoru hoped his mind going straight to the gutter was only on his end. Being interrogated about his kinks in public was not his idea of a good time, and he wouldn't put it past a succubus of all people to do such a thing.

"... Like what?"

"Huh? That's what I'm asking. What are you interested in?" Adrienne clarified. Satoru considered it for a moment.

"I've been doing a lot of reading. Mostly on magic and the like, since that's mere fiction in my world."

"But could it be..? There had to be some magic in your world, right? Maybe you just didn't realize it."

"No. I've tried reevaluating things in my world based on the laws of this world, but even then I can't see it as magic."

"A world with no magic... how's your healthcare?"

"Not as advanced, certainly."

"What about flying? Do you guys just kinda... walk everywhere?"

"Huh? I was informed there were airplanes in this world..."

"Wait, you have them in your world? Then you DO have magic!"

Satoru paused to watch the waiter set their food down. Adrienne's... did not look appetizing. It was glowing. Probably not food for a mana lacking otherworldly human such as Satoru.

"We don't have magic, but we do have technology. Are airplanes propulsed by magic in this world?"

"Partially. I just didn't know you could take that part out. Pretty cool, I guess."

Satoru picked up a stick of beef teriyaki. It certainly smelled nice but he really wasn't that hungry- and after seeing the supernatural quality of Adrienne's food, he had a difficult time trusting it. He bit into it anyway and... it didn't kill him.

"Sorry to interrupt your fun, but Scharhrot caught on quicker than we thought," a demon approached the table to say. "Hey, kiddo. Go ahead and take your stuff to go if you want."

"I'm- well, first of all, I have nothing to carry it in, but I'm not a kid."

"You can take the one in your hand, can't you? I'll finish the rest, hon, you go see Scarlet." Adrienne pulled Satoru's plate to her side of the table. "See if he'll let you stay, too!"

Satoru was then pushed out of the restaurant by the demon with the skewer still in his hand. He quickly retreated back into the building, leaving Satoru at the front door. He looked behind him for a moment and when he faced forward again, Scharhrot was in front of him.

"What do you have?" he asked, taking Satoru's wrist and sniffing at what he was holding.

"It's beef from the restaurant... You can have the rest if you- ah."

Scharhrot had quickly taken it from Satoru and bit at it. Satoru watched as the not quite red enough sauce stained his lips and the skin around them.

"There was-" He realized he could get Adrienne in trouble if Scharhrot wasn't distracted enough by the food to realize she was around and decided not to offer more to him. "Um, can we go home?"

Scharhrot nodded, handing the bare skewer back to Satoru and licking his lips, and then his fingers. Satoru swallowed, his eyes glued to Scharhrot's movements that he really didn't need to be considering attractive. They were in public, after all. Though... somehow, Satoru's heart leaped and he suddenly felt reckless, but he fought the urge and allowed Scharhrot to pick him up without a word.

Satoru had been bold enough to lean up and lick a spot of remaining sauce off of Scharhrot's face, which earned him no comment. From then on, the day thankfully continued as normal.


	5. Day 5

Satoru awoke and immediately felt something was off, opening his eyes to discover he had in fact been kidnapped _again_. He huffed and frowned, glaring around the room as he expected his captor to greet him, but he was alone. Was this a room in Frederick's castle? The architecture seemed different, but it could just be a section he hadn't been to. There were no windows either.

Satoru got out of bed and wished he'd slept wearing socks, because the floor was unexpectedly cold. He recoiled at first but quickly got over it and walked to the vanity in the corner to fix his hair- priorities, after all- before leaving the room. If he didn't find his captor while he was wandering around, he might at least find the exit.

Within a few minutes, Satoru came across a very large balcony area with a few entrances from the hall. There he found a man with very long blond hair not even slightly contained by the helmet of some kind he wore. He was staring up into the sky, content not to acknowledge Satoru until he began to walk away.

"Would you like a mask?" he asked out of the blue, not looking at him. His voice was somewhat low and not entirely clear, as if he was murmuring.

"A mask? Would I need to conceal my identity here? Are you going to help me escape?"

"Escape..? Who brought you here?"

Satoru remained silent as he had no answer. The man turned slightly and regarded Satoru with calm eyes. He then slowly held out his hand, a thin, heart-shaped mask floating above it. It vaguely reminded Satoru of a puzzle game he'd played as a kid and he stepped away.

"It's calling out to you," he said, leaning on the railing with both arms again as the mask slowly approached Satoru on its own.

"Who are you?" Satoru asked, carefully stepping away from the mask every time it got close, slowly chasing him in circles.

"Dantarian..." he answered, his attention returned to the sky. "My masks always end up choosing my visitors. If you don't take it now, it'll end up at your house later."

Satoru began to panic, rubbing his arm when the mask grazed him. It didn't hurt him and he didn't physically feel any sort of magical power emanating from it, but it was obviously magical in some way. What effect would it have if it found its way onto his face?

"Mister Dantarian," he addressed, running over to his side, "can you please wear the mask? To show me what it does?"

"Oh, sure."

He patiently waited for the mask to slowly approach and calmly took it, placing it over his face. When he did, thick tendrils appeared to wrap around his head, keeping the mask in place. Dantarian stepped back from the railing and his previously half-lidded eyes were wide. He then looked at Satoru could tell he was smiling.

"Well well welly well well!" he exclaimed, suddenly excited. "Look at you, young man! You're attracted to and by the darkness but you have so much _light_  and _love_ and _kindness_ in your heart!"

Dantarian had taken Satoru's face in his hands, roughly pinching his cheeks each time he emphasized a word. Had he gone through a personality change? Was it because of the mask? Would Satoru change as well if he wore it?

"Um... can you see that?"

"Oh, of course I can! Look at me!"

Dantarian pointed to the mask, outlining its heart shape. Did it allow him to see into people's hearts?

"Is it possible to take off..?"

"Surely, truly!"

Dantarian pulled at the mask and the tendrils detached themselved from his head before retreating into the mask and he was able to remove it. He seemed to have calmed down, his eyes half-lidded once more and his smile barely lingering. He let go and stepped towards the railing again, leaning forward onto it and returning to his cloud watching.

The mask floated motionlessly in front of Satoru and he was still hesitant to grab it.

"Nobody can wear that but us two," Dantarian informed, regarding Satoru out of the corner of his eye, "and nobody can force you to take it off. It comes off when you will it to."

"Am I special somehow..?" Satoru wondered aloud, gently taking the mask and holding it for a moment. When he let go, it clattered to the ground but remained unharmed. It didn't float again.

"To that mask, you are. If you found another visitor's mask, it would reject you. The violence of the rejection depends on the individual mask," he explained, leaning over the railing and producing another mask from somewhere.

This mask was less rounded, with square-shaped eye holes. It was blue and green in color as opposed to the pink heart. The new mask almost looked like it was made out of building block toys like Legos or some such, but it was still very flat like the other mask.

When Dantarian donned it, similar tendrils wrapped around his head and he became translucent and his very appearance flickered. He raised his legs until he was floating in midair and phased right through the railing.

"You're a ghost now?" Satoru asked, carefully touching the railing Dantarian had passed through to test how solid it was. He shook his head, long hair clipping through his shoulders with the movement as if he were a video game character.

Dantarian floated back to where he'd been standing and removed the mask, gently landing when he did. He then walked behind Satoru and held the mask over his face, but nothing happened.

"See? It hasn't chosen you," he said, purposely dropping the mask over the railing.

"Why can you wear them all?" Satoru asked before crouching down to pick the heart-shaped mask up.

"Ah, because each of these masks contains a fragment of my soul. This seperation of myself was the price of immortality..."

"Do you feel... empty?"

Dantarian considered it for a moment and shrugged.

"I don't mind sharing my soul. The fact that these fragments always end up choosing people just means I would have liked them anyway. I think that's what it means."

Maybe his emotions and the different aspects of his personality ended up splitting off into the masks, resulting in one particular aspect becoming much more apparent when he dons the appropriate mask. That, or he could have easily been playing around and just acting.

Satoru carefully pressed the mask to his face and felt some odd sensation of adrenaline, as if he was suddenly very antsy and needed to burn some energy. He wasn't forced to act differently, however, and just chalked it up to anxiety over trying out a magical artifact.

He looked at Dantarian and while the man's appearance remained the same, Satoru's interpretation of him somehow changed without his will, understanding Dantarian at his very core in but a moment. He was in fact missing his heart, with no real ill or good will to be found in his actions as a result. He didn't have complicated reasons or ulterior motives for doing or saying anything he did: a simple man.

The sheer amount of information Satoru obtained all at once was both impressive and frightening, and he was immensely relieved when the mask let him remove it with ease.

Suddenly realizing Satoru now had a power that Scharhrot couldn't possibly use himself and could therefore make him useful to his master, he bowed and thanked Dantarian for the gift. Wanting to leave but realizing Dark Zone was too dangerous for Satoru to traverse alone, he continued standing there.

"You can go home now," Dantarian said, clearly never having intended to keep him there.

"I can't really... travel alone... though, actually, I suppose I could use the mask to find someone who could help me and just a-"

"I don't recommend it. The amount of information you'd take in all at once from scanning a crowd with the mask on would overwhelm you. Plus, good people are hard to come by in Dark Zone."

"I see... then, could you please..?"

"Walk you home?"

"Yes..."

"You're devoted to someone... you live with that person, I would assume?"

"Scharhrot Vampir, yes." Satoru felt odd saying his master's full name.

"Scharhrot... Vampir. Yes, I've worked with him in the past. Strangely enough, none of my masks ever chose him. Does that mean I don't like him? Or is it a coincidence? Oh well," he disgressed, "let's be off, shall we?"

It turned out to be a rather long walk, and Dantarian took the mask from him again as they went. He pointed out several people feigning innocence yet ready to hurt each other, as well as people openly expressing their aggression, and some who seemed aggressive but truly wanted to live peaceful lives.

A young girl was caught staring at Satoru and fled when he made eye contact.

"Ohh, that girl just fell in love at first sight! Just now! I wonder who it was?"

Satoru hoped she didn't end up being one of his many kidnappers.

Once the castle's forest was in view, Satoru's legs were tired enough to crave a break. He communicated this to Dantarian and ended up getting his second ever piggyback ride and, of course, it turned out Dantarian could fly as well. Apparently, just about everyone could.

Once they reached the castle, Dantarian set him down at the entrance and waved a lazy goodbye before floating off into the forest. Satoru gripped the mask in his hands and made the trek to his room, suddenly fearing what he might see if he were to use the mask on Scharhrot. There was probably nothing to be afraid of...

But just in case, Satoru gently placed it in the back of a drawer and made a mental note to show it to Scharhrot later.


	6. Day 6

Scharhrot had gotten fed up with Satoru suddenly being kidnapped so often and decided they should sleep together every night from then on. Unfortunately, Scharhrot only lied next to him, rather than holding him close...

Satoru felt himself being scooped up and almost screamed in frustration, even after seeing it was just Frederick. He shushed him preemptively and carried him out of that damn balcony, waiting until they were definitely out of Scharhrot's earshot to speak.

"Do you like ice cream?" he casually asked, smiling down at Satoru.

"I don't want it. Please bring me back to the castle." Satoru tried not to snap at Frederick, but he was tired in more ways than one.

"Well, you can blame Scarlet if you're sick of going out. He still hasn't quite caught on, huh? Still doesn't realize the best way to keep you safe is to have you in his arms?"

Satoru experienced very mixed feelings as he processed what Frederick said. This explained a lot, and it meant he really didn't have anything to be afraid of the whole time, but it was also extremely tedious and frustrating, and the only person he liked being carried by was Scharhrot.

"I... appreciate the effort, but please stop."

"We've come too far now. Might as well keep going until the goal is met," Frederick dismissed. Satoru sighed sharply and rested his tired eyes, figuring he'd just end up in another bed in Frederick's castle anyway.

Instead, when Frederick landed, he heard grass under his feet. Satoru opened his eyes and didn't recognize his surroundings. Or the new person there, for that matter.

"And this is Scharhrot's... son?" the stranger asked, and Satoru wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he seemed to bring a chilling air with him when he walked towards them.

"His pet, actually. I doubt his kid would have such a soft, innocent face," Frederick said, letting Satoru stand and using his now free hands to touch his face. Satoru batted his hands away, walking towards a nearby table with chairs near a building he didn't bother looking up to examine.

He sat down and leaned over the table, resting his head on his arms and closing his eyes again.

"Just don't kill him. And don't give him frostbite, Frosty," Frederick added. It seemed Scharhrot wasn't the only one he had a nickname for. The cold air must not have been his imagination, either.

"Ah, no reason to," he agreed, not commenting on the name.

Satoru heard Frederick leave and felt the cold air get closer, sapping the heat out of his skin. He started slightly when he felt a blanket be thrown over him and opened his eyes to find Frosty was missing his coat. Satoru covered himself with it, tired enough to be content to sleep like that. They remained in silence for a while until someone exited the building and placed what sounded like a tray on the table Satoru was laying on.

He opened his eyes and saw two steaming drinks as well as a plate of sweet dumplings.

"Help yourself," Frosty offered, taking the drink closest to him.

Satoru mumbled his thanks and took his drink in both hands, more interested in using it for warmth than to drink. He expected tea, but it actually smelled like hot chocolate.

"Did Frederick order all of this?"

"Technically, I ordered it. I'm hiding here for a bit and Frederick offered me someone as company."

"Ah... Who are you, actually?"

"I am called Frosty Steeple," he answered, confirming that Frosty wasn't a nickname. The man was actually just named Frosty.

"And you and Frederick are friends?"

"It's impossible to truly be friends with him," he denied, "though, that's true for most of Dark Zone."

"Isn't Frederick especially... evil?" Satoru asked, remembering something about him being hated, as his actions, whatever they were, had disgusted even demons.

Frosty tilted his head and shrugged, as if considering it.

"To explain it shortly would explain nothing. He betrayed his former lord and usurped his throne, but that's to be expected in Dark Zone. The problem was that he was growing famous specifically for being such a good, loyal, and talented servant. Dark Zone wasn't quite as bad back then, but it still had a reputation for being an evil land full of evil people. Frederick was meant to be an exception, as proof that people like him did exist here. When he killed his former lord, people were outraged not out of care for the lord, but for Frederick."

Satoru's eyes had slipped shut again during the story, but he listened intently. That explained why he had a reputation for being two-faced and the most untrustworthy man in Dark Zone.

"Were you around back then?"

"Not at all. I'm but a child to Frederick, having forcibly obtained immortality despite still being human."

"... Ah." Satoru realized that was why he occasionally called Scharhrot a baby. He was already old for a human, but rather young for a vampire.

"But we do go a little ways back. He's equally helpful as he is playful, even if the latter can interfere with the former."

"You should leave soon. Before my master gets here," Satoru mumbled, setting his drink aside to rest his head on the table again.

"Your concern is nothing short of adorable."

Satoru dozed off and when he next opened his eyes, Frosty was gone and the cups were no longer steaming. He'd taken his coat with him, but he'd also taken the cold air, so Satoru didn't mind.

"There you are," one of Scharhrot's servants called, slowly floating down to him. He recognized her as a succubus named Gianna.

"Let's get you back home," she said, sounding unburdened as she hoisted Satoru up to sit on one shoulder.

She took off without checking to make sure he was ready and he frantically grabbed her head, adjusting to try not to obscure her vision or pull her hair. She had a good grip on his legs, but Satoru really didn't feel safe. Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind him desperately gripping her head for support.

Scharhrot was waiting at the entrance to the castle for their arrival, staring silently until Gianna put Satoru down in front of him.

"Did you get up? Or were you taken from my side?" he asked.

"The latter, yes," Satoru answered, fidgeting slightly as he almost forgot what to do with his hands now that they weren't holding onto Gianna for dear life.

"I see... I suppose I wasn't alert enough," he muttered, walking over and placing a hand on Satoru's lower back, leading him into the castle.

Satoru considered asking Scharhrot to hold him to see if that would help, but he lost his nerve. Instead, he just ended up cuddling against Scharhrot's back, hoping the closeness was enough.


	7. Day 7

Finally, Satoru woke up knowing he was in his own bed, and with warm arms around him-... He'd fallen asleep in Scharhrot's bed. He turned his head to glare at Frederick, who smiled at him.

"If he won't hold you, I will," Frederick murmured, nuzzling the top of Satoru's head.

"Get off of me and leave before my master finds you."

"Wow, you're being awfully assertive! What makes you think you have any right to order me around?" He kept his tone rather light but his eyes weren't as soft as a moment ago. Satoru calmed down slightly but was still too frustrated to apologize.

"He's going to kill you this time," he warned, hoping it didn't sound like a threat. It was true that both he and Scharhrot were fed up with the overly frequent kidnappings as of late.

"I haven't taken you away. You're still in Scarlet's castle, see? Just not in his room."

Satoru figured it was futile but attempted to squirm out of Frederick's grasp anyway, and actually succeeded. He got up and left, heading straight to Scharhrot's room so he wouldn't worry about him.

"Ah, you're actually here today," a servant greeted as Satoru passed by.

He knocked on the door just once and Scharhrot immediately opened it, looking less than pleased.

"Why did you get up?" he asked, visibly relaxing now that he knew he didn't have to hunt Satoru down again.

"Frederick took me to my room. All of this was his fault, he said something about how it would make you-"

"Hold him to keep him safe," Frederick interrupted. "Since obviously I can even steal him from beside you.

"Is that seriously why you've wasted an entire week of my time?" Scharhrot growled, tone getting slightly uneven halfway through his sentence as he swung at Frederick just once. He hopped out of the way, as usual.

"Just hold him. He's a good pet, he deserves it. I'm not gonna stop until you do."

Scharhrot remained still and silent before grabbing Satoru's arm and pulling him into the room, slamming the door shut behind them and locking it. He let go of Satoru's arm and went back to bed, staring at him expectantly. Satoru climbed into bed and settled against him, letting his eyes fall shut when Scharhrot covered both of them with the comforter and wrapped his arms around him.

Satoru had been fed up with Frederick's antics more and more over the course of the week, but in this moment, he felt genuinely grateful and like it was all worth it.


End file.
